Stories, analysis, highlights, and everything Yankees from an up & coming sports journalist.

Gold Gloves and a Trip to Arkansas

Now that the off-season has begun and the hot stove will be burning for the next few months, I felt it necessary to talk about the two major Yankee headlines this past week–the Gold Glove Awards and the Yankees’ visit to Arkansas to speak with big time Free Agent Cliff Lee.

First…

Gold Gloves

Three Yankee infielders took home Gold Glove Awards on Tuesday. Robinson Cano won the American League Gold Glove for second base, the first time he has ever won the award. Mark Teixeira won his fourth Gold Glove (second with New York) and then there is Derek Jeter.

Jeter won his fifth Gold Glove and all I have been hearing since he won it is how much he did not deserve it; how his range is down, how he cannot move to his left, and how many balls get through the infield holes because he cannot get to them.

All true. I am not going to say Jeter is the best defensive shortstop in the A.L. because it’s not really a fact. However, numbers do not lie, and that’s why I think Jeter received the honor.

In 2010, Jeter secured a higher fielding percentage than any other shortstop in the A.L. along with committing the fewest errors (six) among any other shortstop in the league.

Honestly, I think those numbers won him the Gold Glove. It really wasn’t because he was the best fielder. However, many people have been saying that he did deserve it because everything else he does (like leading the team) makes up for his lack of range.

And, in addition to his numbers, his ability to (after all these years) utilize his patented “Jeter spinning jump throw,” which we did see at certain points this season. Case in point, May 26 in Minnesota.

For me, I look at Jeter’s defense as a two-sided coin. I completely understand his critics’ arguments about his defense. Did he deserve the Gold Glove? Probably not. Were his numbers better than the rest of the shortstops in the league? Yes, but there is still no denying his range is not what it used to be. The Yankee Captain now struggles at getting to grounders he could once reach in a flash.

However…

When people criticize his defense, I tend to remember some of the better things he has done playing the field, such as:

·His backward plunge into the third base seats, Game Five of the 2001 American League Division Series vs. Oakland at Yankee Stadium; a catch which ended an at-bat by Terrence Long

·His infamous dive into the seats on July 1, 2004 at Yankee Stadium vs. the Red Sox to rob Trot Nixon of what could have been a game-changing RBI hit.

·His famous “flip play” in the ’01 ALDS in Oakland. While out of position, Jeter flipped the ball to catcher Jorge Posada to nail Jeremy Giambi at home plate for a huge out.

The most telling aspect of these three defensive plays? The Yankees won all three of those games.

And if you ask Jeter, that’s what he cares about most: the Yankees winning. The Captain could probably care less about individual awards and accolades. Not saying he probably does not appreciate it, but every season we hear him say the same thing: “We (the Yankees) need to win the World Series. If we don’t accomplish that, it’s a failed season to us.”

Jeter cares more about the strength and the good of the team than he does himself, which is an admirable quality about him. He does not seem to pride himself on winning things by himself, but rather he takes honor in the team’s overall success.

If you were to ask Jeter, he would certainly say he would have taken another World Series ring–for he and his team–over the Gold Glove this year.

I, for one, am proud to see a player exhibit that kind of morale. Jeter is a leader who wants the best for all of his teammates and not just himself. Congrats to Jeter, Cano, and Teixeira on winning the 2010 A.L. Gold Gloves.

Cliff Lee

Let the bidding, the rumors, and the possible offers begin.

The Yankees reached out to big-name free agent starter Cliff Lee yesterday, paying him a visit at his home in Arkansas. According to several reports, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman flew out to meet Lee, one of the Yankees’ top off-season priorities.

Several reporters said the meeting was informal; almost a “meet-and-greet” if you will, which is not uncommon when a team is seeking a free agent. After all, communication is always important when it comes to making deals. Just ask the Red Sox when they wanted Alex Rodriguez at the end of the 2003 season.

Lee’s agent Darek Braunecker said he probably will not make a decision until the winter meetings begin next month. Braunecker also stated that what happened during the ALCS probably will not affect Lee’s decision on where he will pitch in 2011.

To refresh your memory, Lee’s wife Kristen was apparently called names, taunted, and spat at during the ALCS at Yankee Stadium–all happening as Lee was dominating the Yankees on his way to helping the Texas Rangers claim the A.L. Championship.

According to reports, an apology for those despicable actions may have been given to Lee’s wife when Cashman visited Lee yesterday.

Looking at the situation right now, I feel it will come down to Texas and New York for Lee; one or the other. It will be almost a proverbial “off-season ALCS rematch,” but with the Yanks and Rangers competing for Lee instead of the A.L. title.

Lee has said that he would not mind returning to Texas in 2011, but what also has to be considered is the Yankees’ aggressiveness.

There’s no telling what kind of a deal Cashman and the front office will piece together; they sought Lee back in July and came within an eyelash of landing him in a trade, but were ultimately beat out by the Rangers. It’s no secret that the Yanks want him.

Not to mention the fact that Yankee ace CC Sabathia is good friends with Lee off the field, going back to their days on the Cleveland Indians. He could certainly play a role in deciding where Lee ends up next season.

There are many Yankee fans who want to see Lee in pinstripes. Considering how he has owned the Yankees in the past and how valuable he could be as a number two starter, of course the Yankee faithful is going to want him in pinstripes. Sabathia and Lee have the potential to be the most lethal “one-two punch” in the American League, maybe in baseball.

Yet, there are those who do not want to see it happen. Even the most die-hard Yankee loyalists are arguing that it’s not fair for the Yankees to spend the kind of outrageous money to land Lee in a signing–and in a lot of ways they have a valid point. Lee is going to ask for a Sabathia-like deal, probably lobbying for a huge contract with a number of years and a lot of money attached to it.

Is it really fair for the Yankees to go out and do that? Probably not, and I say that as a die-hard Yankee fan. They already spent a quarter of a $billion on three players prior to 2009, and that got them a championship.

It’s just another reason there should be a salary cap in Major League Baseball. Payroll disparity is becoming more and more of issue as the years go by, and no, it’s not fair. Teams like the Kansas City Royals, the Oakland Athletics, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Seattle Mariners could only dream of signing a free agent for big money and multiple years.

However…I am all for whatever makes the Yankees World Champions in 2011. And, although it really isn’t fair, if Lee is going to help bring the title back to the Bronx, I say go for it; offer him the world and sign him.

Lee just better live up to the contract, should he get it. If he gets the big deal and they lose in 11 months…we are going to have a serious problem on our hands.

Right now I’d like to say some thank yous!

First off, thanks to the readers of MLBlogs for their support. Yankee Yapping was ranked no. 3 in October, surprisingly beating out a lot of the San Francisco Giant blogs, which really shocked me. I stopped blogging after the ALCS ended (call it depression, lol) yet still secured the number three spot.

So thanks for that everyone!!! No. 3 is the highest I’ve been so far. (If I ever make it to no. 1 it would be a miracle; it’d be extremely difficult to knock my good friend Jane off the top. She blogs every day and certainly deserves the no. 1 spot month in and month out!)

I’d also like to thank the North County News here in New York for giving me my first writing job. Last weekend I covered the local high school football game and submitted my first article as a freelance reporter.

I will be at it again this weekend, this time covering high school field hockey.

Yeah, I know, it’s not exactly my dream–the press box at Yankee Stadium–but it’s definitely a start. I understand the concept of working my way up and hopefully/eventually I’ll be covering the Yankees; living out my dream and sitting in that press box with the rest of the writers.

2 Comments

Can’t agree with you on the salary cap issue. The Yankees have the largest payroll in baseball and it’s theirs to do with it as they see fit. They also pay out a fortune in luxury taxes so other teams can benefit. Seems fair to me.

I don’t think there should be a salary cap at all. Every team is allowed to spend as they like, and the Yankees take full advantage of that. They pay millions of dollars a year to teams with lower payrolls with the luxury tax. They make a huge profit, so why not spend some more?
I don’t really trust defensive statistics. Many people point to UZR as what defines players defensively, but Robinson Cano’s -0.6 UZR, suggesting that he’s a negative defender, shows that when rating players defensively, you really have to look at the game, not the stats.http://bronx-awesome.mlblogs.com/

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